Chamber honors first responders at Officer Appreciation Day

October 9, 2013

Photo courtesy of Tish Dahmen
First responders from the Bingham County Sheriff's Office and the Blackfoot Police and Fire Departments were honored by the Greater Blackfoot Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. Included were deputies Shirley Featherston, Mike Johnson and Brad Lulloff, firefighters Shawn Croft and Alex Orton and police officers Cpl. Chad Braswell, Sgt. Todd Myler and Seth Wheeler. Myler and Wheeler were absent.

The Greater Blackfoot Chamber of Commerce honored nine first responders on Wednesday.
"I continue to be amazed and pleased with the kind of service offered by first responders to our community," said Mayor Mike Virtue. "They are clearly unsung heroes."
The Chamber honors three deputies from the Bingham County Sheriff's Office, three Blackfoot police officers and three Blackfoot fire fighters.
Sheriff Craig Rowland presented certificates to Shirley Featherston, Mike Johnson and Brad Lulloff.
Featherston manages the Civil Office, making sure all papers are processed and served properly.
"Shirley is one of the most knowledgeable civil deputies in the state," Rowland said.
"Mike is a dedicated patrolman who focuses on the needs of the community and strives to assist the public," Rowland said. He is the department's armorer who works on maintaining its firearms.
Lulloff is a detention deputy who works in the jail.
"Deputy Lulloff has strived to gain as much knowledge about the jail and its operations as he could, taking advantage of any training available as well as becoming a valuable member of his team," Rowland said.
Fire Chief Kevin Gray asked his shift commanders to present certificates to Shawn Croft, Alex Orton and Tony Talamantes.
Croft is a graduate of the paramedic program at Idaho State. He has been with the department since 2007. Orton began with the department in 2002 after two years as a volunteer.
Talamantes began as a volunteer in 2007 and is now a fulltime firefighter.
Cpl. Chad Braswell is the Blackfoot Police Department's K-9 handler. He and his drug-sniffing dog, Moxie, are among the best team in the state.
Myler is currently the sergeant over the school resource program.
Wheeler is a member of the Special Response team and was just certified as a Taser instructor.
"We appreciate what these officers do to help make our community safe," said Chamber president Echo Marshall.
Marshall announced the election of five new board members. They will be honored at a dinner in November and will take office in January.
They include Ann Taylor of Ann Taylor Law, Brenda Stanley of Portneuf Medical Center, Burke Kunz of Van Orden, Lund and Cannon, Randy'L Teton of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and Roger Stott of Idaho Central Credit Union.